My Time: 2:20.700

This sector conveniently takes off from where Sector 1 left off. Let's get started.

During Sector 1, I eschewed ABS, TCS, and all the other gadgets. Well, I tried this method again during Sector 2, but after many retakes, I decided I HAD to put ABS on "1" at least. The lowest I could manage Sector 2 without ABS was 2:23.551. Sector 2 demands lots of late braking, and lots of trail-braking (turning while braking) in some areas. With ABS off, I couldn't brake nearly as late as I needed to in lots of areas. Anyways, here we go....  


1). Rolling down a hill now in 3rd gear. Upshift into 4th. As we pass into Fuchstrohre territory, the track bends gently left and right several times.

2). There's finally an area where the downhill stops and the uphill begins. Beware! Try to be on the middle-right of the track (50% to 75% over to the right) as the hill climbs, not all the way over to the right.

**Usually, most cornering is done in an out-in-out fashion, with the driver taking up as much track as possible in many cases. Since the 'Ring is so narrow, this may not be such a good idea all the time. Our racing line is therefore going to be more like a middle-ish-in-middle, instead of out-in-out. The reason is some turns demand us to drive in as straight a line as possible, with only minimal bending of our line.

3). Notice there's a small white sign on the right side of the track as the hill climbs. It's best to brake somewhat before you pass this sign if you want to go for gold. Try to maintain as much speed as possible. Braking too late here will only end in disaster. You'll see.  

**The demo never gets below 100 mph as it corners inwards. During my gold run, I could only manage about 95 at slowest. This goes to show that there is a bit of leeway here in Sector 2, and that following the demo to a tee could actually cause some unneeded stress.    

4). Brake firmly as you pass the sign. Try to do this in as much of a straight line as possible initially, before turning slightly inwards to the left. Chances are you will still be braking as you turn-in, so it's tricky. Downshift into 3rd. Be careful, though. As the Benz crests the hill, it can catch air here and go off-track momentarily (especially if you've turned inwards too late). It's okay to roll over the rumble strip on the left side of the track here...just try to stay off the grass.    

5). Just after that lefty, the track now bends quickly to the right. As you approach the upcoming right turn, brake slightly, and keep it in 3rd gear. Modulate throttle as you attack this area. This is the Adenauer-Forst. Again, it's best to look at where the track's surface is darkest if you need to know where to be. 

6). The hill keeps climbing. Now there's a sharp left turn up ahead! Oddly, I find it best to be in the middle of the track (rather than on its right) before attacking this next corner. Just after we pass over what looks to be a huge painted bar code on the track, brake firmly, and downshift to 2nd.

7). Give a bit of throttle while steering out of here. There's now a sharp right turn ahead. When exiting this area, throttle-control is key, especially if TCS if off. Too much throttle while the car is still turning can cause the rear to jackknife, especially if its inside tires get caught up on that high rumble strip and then flump off. Assuming this happens, make sure you're not giving full throttle or the car's rear will burn-out a little and the Benz will lose overall speed.

8). The track straightens out (sort of) and we pass over a few slight bends. Upshift into 3rd and 4th.  

9). Metzgesfeld is the next area. The track bends more sharply left. I've done this sharper curve with and without brakes. It's desirable not to brake here, so that speed is maintained. If you do brake all that's needed is a tap. I usually braked just after the HUD informed me I'm in Metzgesfeld. Speed should be hovering just over 100 mph during this area, and we can do this turn out-in-out, or close to it.

10). The track straightens out for a short bit, but there's an immediate lefty up ahead. Now it's time to brake firmly. There is a small bit of graffiti written on the track, I have no idea what it says, but this is where we should brake. Downshift into 3rd just after braking, and steer in. This entire area should be done as smoothly as possible, with no grass clips, for best results. The Benz will be going somewhere in the lower to mid 60s at the slowest.   

11). Throttle out of Metzgesfeld. We roll briefly downhill into Kallenhard. There are two white signs on the left of the track. Just after we pass the 2nd one, brake before the sharp right that's coming up. Brake in a relatively straight line, steer-in while coasting, and downshift into 2nd. It's best to start braking just after that second white sign, but before the rumble strip on the right side of the track starts.

11). As you throttle out, upshift into 3rd and eventually 4th. The track bends left and then right, and then right again. You might need to tap the brakes before that first left. But maybe not. It's best not to use brakes at all, while modulating throttle (but attempting to keep it flat-out), because this helps maintain speed so we can make our gold.   

12). There are now a series of rumble strips in the inside (right) of the track. Just after passing the first one, brake momentarily and downshift into 3rd. This is a high-speed curve..very dangerous, yet it's okay to slide a tad as you enter this area. 

**You want to stay on the middle-inside here. Do not go out-in-out, because the car's going to want to understeer here, and grass can make this difficult. It's a trail-brake here (braking while turning) so it's tricky, of course, but all we need is a tap of brakes to bring speed down to about 81 mph or so.

13). Keep steering tight. There are a total of three rumble strips on the inside of the track before the track straightens out. Upshift into 4th when appropriate.

***During my gold run, I made a huge boo-boo and ran into the grass once the track straightened. Somehow, I still made gold! Again, this goes to show there's a bit of leeway with the Sector 2 challenge.    

14). Weirseifen is next. This a blind curve which morphs into a hairpin. Fun. Just after it says "Weirseifen" on the HUD is where we should start braking. Brake heavily, downshift into 3rd while steering inwards. Roll over the rumbly on the inside if you have to.

15). Give a short burst of gas before braking again. Downshift into 2nd.

**It's important to not get too wild here. Don't roll wildly over the rumbly on the inside of this hairpin; it's best to keep all tires on tarmac so that maximum traction is created.  

Leave the hairpin in 2nd...hopefully without doing a grand burnout!  

16). We're rolling downhill again. Upshift into 3rd and 4th. Einfart-Breidscheid is up next. This area does not last very long, in fact I think this is the shortest phase of Nurburgring.

17). Get over on the right side of the track. There is a somewhat sharp left coming up, and we're finally going to do an out-in-out. There is what looks to be a small service road on the right. It's best to brake as we pass this road. Downshift into 3rd while steering heavily. This is a dual-left turn, so don't stop steering until the track starts to straighten.

**It's best not to give too much gas too early, here. The Benz can possibly jump the rumbly on the right side of the track, and wind up on the safety pad, crushing its fender on the guardrail. All of this costs time. A slight bump over the rumbly is okay, though.   

18). Exmuhle starts now. Do not use brakes here, even though this seems like the logical thing to do. Instead, note the black & red sign on the left side of the track. As you pass this sign, momentarily release the throttle, steer-in heavily, and start giving gas in 3rd gear as you bounce your way past the inside rumble strip. Do not downshift to 2nd. The Benz will be going anywhere from 62-66 mph at this point; the more speed the better.  

19). The track starts climbing uphill and straightens out finally for a few blessed seconds (phew). It's okay to let the engine redline heavily into 3rd as it climbs the hill before shifting into 4th. 

*** Rolling up this area, notice there will be a small white sign on the right side of the track. This sign is Nurburgrging's 10 km mark. As you pass it, note your time. If you've made a low 1:57.xxx, things are looking good for gold. If you've got a high 1:57 ...meh... gold is still possible, but not likely. Any higher than 1:58, and you'd best begin the entire run again, unless you simply want to practice that last corner. 1:59 or a few seconds higher is a solid silver at best.  

20). There will be a gentle left curve coming up. Try and do an out-in-in as you pass over it. It's important to stay on the left side of the track after passing the rumble strip that lies here.

21). There is a small black and red sign that comes up fast on our right. Try to start braking just as you pass it. This is Bergwerk, our final tricky area.

22). Downshift into 3rd while steering slightly to the right, braking all the while. Do not shift into 2nd. As you near the inside of this final turn, steer inwards more heavily, and release the brakes. Speed will be about 61 mph at the slowest. Make your way past the tight right corner here while accelerating out in 3rd. Clambering the inner tires on the inside rumbly is okay, and as you pass this area, start giving throttle cautiously. Too much gas too early, and you'll be mowing grass on the track's far side as you exit. GT4 had a license test specifically devoted to this single turn, which makes sense because it's a toughie.

18). The finish line is up ahead as we climb this final hill. Keep it in 3rd gear and say a prayer you're below 2:21.000! Phew.



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My time: 2:06.098

I'll be honest, it took me maybe 3 hours to gold Sector 2, maybe a half hour to gold Sector 1. If you're on a rampage to get them all golded, it might be a better idea to simply stop for awhile. Stop and do something else. Clear you head. Unless you're one of those demons who somehow can gold Sector after Sector. Yea, right, I'll believe it when I see it!


1). The AMG Driving Academy Sector 3 challenge starts us rolling up a long, gentle hill. The track winds a bit but there's nothing too drastic for now. Upshift into 4th eventually. It's okay to let the car redline heavily into 3rd before upshifting. I've noticed a slight bit of acceleration is gathered.

2). We enter Kesselchen. Nothing to report here...we're still gathering speed slowly as we roll uphill in 4th gear. 

3). Klostertal is next. The track bends gently to the right, and it's best to stay inwards (to the right) here. It bends gently left then. Keep it in 4th and do not slow yet. Go out-in-out when you attack that left so that you wind up on the right side of the track.

4). Up ahead, the track bends more sharply to the left. There is a narrow, white concrete pad on our right side. Just after passing this pad, steer-in hard to the left. No brakes are needed here...instead it's best to momentarily release the throttle while steering inwards heavily...rolling over the rumbly on the inside if you have to. This is sort of an out-in-out. Kinda sorta. Speed should be just over 100 mph.  

* As you blast out of this area, notice it's possible to oversteer slightly once throttle is applied fully, and the car's overall racing line becomes somewhat tighter. This is called "steering from the rear".

5). The track straightens and then bends to the right eventually. We can take this area flat out (full-throttle). Brakes are not needed. This is another out-in-out to some degree, although the actual racing line can vary a tad.

6). The track straightens out briefly. This is Stellstrecke. Coming up on the left there's a rumbly strip. Start braking heavily just after you start passing it. This is difficult to describe, but there's a point where the rumbly is sticking onto the track the most. You should start braking just as you pass this point. Downshift from 4th to 2nd and start steering inwards heavily, but not so heavily that you're riding the rumble strip on the inside. Try to stay on tarmac.

7). The track now starts climbing steeply towards Caracciola-Karussel. The odd banked area this portion features was originally made to drain water off the upper part of the track, but eventually drivers would simply drive on this bank instead of the track!  As we approach here, we want to aim towards the center of the track.

 

8). There is a shadow just before the Karussel, caused by a tree. Brake just as you pass over this shadow, while downshifting into 2nd gear, and keep braking while turning onto the bank. As the car scampers for grip, you can stop braking when the gullwing feels like it can handle this. Let the car coast momentarily. Try not to give too much throttle too early, or the car will travel off the bank, where the track is flatter and we can't take advantage of those awesome G-forces. ;) Towards the middle of the bank, it will be safer to give full throttle, though sometimes you may still need to feather it.

 

Note: It's okay if the two outer tires are initially on the bank, while the two inner tires are rolling on the inner arc. It is also okay (towards the end) to finally scramble off the bank altogether, if that's what the car is wanting to do. 

9). After the banked area, we're climbing a hill that gently meanders. Upshift into 3rd and then leave it in 3rd. There is no need to upshift into 4th. Keeping it in 3rd saves just that wee bit of time that would otherwise be spent on an upshift! The car will redline heavily, but it will not make its RPM limit. There is a somewhat blind left curve here, and it's safe to pass it out-in-out while going flat out.

10). Now there's a second left curve...this one's sharper. Start braking a moment after you pass over what looks to be a small splotch of white graffiti on the left of the road. Brake, steer in, but prepare to then go immediately right, doling out mostly full throttle. Try to follow the tarmac; do not let the car run off-track.  

11). Now we're in Hohe Acht, which has the highest altitude of the entire track. About 70% of Sector 3 is now done! But the toughest parts are now coming up. When going for gold, it's important to keep as much speed as possible when attacking this final 30%.

Note: when I finally golded this challenge, I noticed during the replay I was driving mildy sloppy at times during this final section of turns. Going a little too much onto a rumble strip...clipping a little grass. All of this is okay, as long as overall control is maintained.  


12). Get on the left side of the track. We're tackling this sharp right curve with minimal brakes and a release of throttle, out-in-out style. It's okay if you get a little sloppy, clambering over rumblies a bit, but try not to get too wild. Brake just before the  car passes over yet another splotch of graffiti; a bunch of huge white letters it looks like. 

13). Hedwigstrohe now, still in 3rd gear, and starting to go downhill. Full throttle. 

 

14). Wipperman is next. Things start to feel a bit rollercoaster-ish. There will be a slight right and then a slight left curve (an S-turn in other words), try not to use brakes before steering into the first right curve, instead feathering that throttle. Chances are you'll need just a long dab of brakes for the lefty though. We're still in 3rd gear. As usual, aim for the inner rumblies, and try to stay out of grass, or from getting too wild (better said than done, of course). 

14). The track straightens briefly and then immediately makes a sharper right. This is Wippermann. We don't need any brakes before this right curve, even though it is tighter than the previous two, I've managed to fly through here (sliding slightly perhaps) with no brakes. Keep it in 3rd gear.       
 
15). The Benz climbs a short hill before needing to get a tap of brakes, as we pass over more graffiti. There's a tight right up ahead, and it crests the Wipperman hill. This area is blind, and can cause understeer if you're not careful. Keep it in 3rd as you tackle...out-in-in. Stay somewhat toward the right as the track starts to go downhill.

16). Eschbach now. A long, somewhat blind left is up ahead. It's best to be middle-ish before attacking it. We're still in 3rd gear. 

17). Just as you pass a small black & white sign on your right (careful, it comes up fast), brake firmly while steering carefully inwards. For best results (gold) keep it in 3rd. 

The final turn is up ahead, which puts us in Brunnchen. It's sharp, but we (finally) don't have to be careful if we don't want to.

18 a). There are two ways you can tackle this final turn. If you're being ethical, start braking just as the gullwing passes a huge splotch of white graffiti on the road. Do a typical out-in-out. Downshift into 2nd and modulate gas. Pass the finish line while traveling ON the track.

18 b). If you're not being ethical, brake where the graffiti is, turn in, but then it's possible to just ramble wildly into the grass while keeping the car somewhat pointed towards the finish line. Gold can be struck this way, too, as the AMG Academy apparently didn't think to fail errant drivers if they purposely go off track! 

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My time: 8:41.524

This is the final test, thank goodness. I'm not doing a full write-up because all you have to do is follow all the lessons in Sectors 1 thru 4 and you've got it. The main problem is there are several Ai vehicles to get around as you struggle with this full lap. 

This test resembles GT4's dreaded Mission 34, yet is not nearly as difficult. I golded it on my second try, matter of fact. PD lowered the bar for this final test, for some reason.

The main tip to offer is just do the whole thing once or twice, even if you feel like you're sucking at it. It takes time to learn where everybody is on the track. First you'll see a 300SL just like yours. Then, an A-series Benz just after Quiddebacher-Hohe, etc.

  

 When another car shows up on the map, be prepared with a racing line to hopefully avoid it. Small grass cuts (as unethical as they are) can be employed here and there to avoid these clueless drivers, all of whom cruise around the track as if they've got a day off and are trying to sightsee.

During my gold run, I accidentally clipped one of these drivers slightly on his rear fender, which goes to show that you don't need perfection to attain gold here.

 

One final tip: you should be getting by the last Benz, which is a black sedan, somewhere after Wipperman, but before Eschbach. These are the areas which are somewhat near the end of Sector 3. And as you roll down the long straight of Sector 4, you should be at about 8:20.xxx or less as you pass under the BILSTEIN bridge.